


Ticket To L.A.

by Tomlinsontoes



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Airports, Fluff, M/M, Musician Harry, No Smut, Strangers to Lovers, Student Louis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-17 23:52:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17570315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tomlinsontoes/pseuds/Tomlinsontoes
Summary: Fun little airport fic based on the song "Ticket to L.A." by Brett Young.Harry is a musician who meets Louis in an airport when all of the flights are delayed. After accidentally hitting him with his guitar case, Louis agrees to get a drink with Harry as long as he doesn't start playing "Wonderwall"





	Ticket To L.A.

**Author's Note:**

> There is a small hidden easter egg 10 points if you can find it

Harry dragged himself and his brown leather bag and guitar case through the crowded airport scoping out the gate numbers for his own. He was weaving in and out of families; dodging kids as they trip over their own two feet trying to pull their “big kid” luggage.

Even for JFK it seemed unusually busy for this time of year. It wasn’t until he saw all the red “DELAYED” messages across the departing board that he understood why so many people were frantic and more agitated than usual. He groans with frustration and gears up for the long night ahead of him.

When he couldn’t find a seat at his own gate, he makes a loop around the terminal and tries to find an empty seat somewhere else. He lucks out at gate 22 and sped to nab the last open seat before anyone else.

“Sorry man,” Harry whisper apologizes to the stranger who was reading next him when his guitar case knocks his knee.

The guy looks up from his book and gives Harry a polite smile—something he’s not used to seeing late at night in an overcrowded airport. “As long as you don’t fucking start playing ‘Wonderwall’ it’s all good,” he deadpans. If it wasn’t for the lingering smile Harry would think he was truly being a jackass.

“Nah, was thinking ‘Jumper’ actually,” Harry jokes back with his own smirk.

The guy was probably around his age and had on a matching tracksuit that looked comfier than his jeans and button up. Harry tries to get a glimpse of the book he was reading but didn’t want to look like a creep.

“My two-hour delay is already making tonight insufferable please don’t add to it with a sing-along. Where you heading?” The guy closes his book between his finger; which to Harry is the universal sign that he wants a conversation.

Harry lets out a too-loud laugh even in the middle of a buzzing terminal and smacks a hand over his mouth before composing himself. “Nashville." He looks across to the desk by the gate and sees it’s L.A. bound. “You going home or?”

“Yeah. Trying at least,” the stranger says before nodding to Harry’s guitar. “You some sort of country singer or something?”

Harry looks down at his beat up guitar case and smiles down at it fondly. He’d been in New York trying to play a couple club shows opening up for a friend of his. He had a bit of a following back home but over here was a completely different case. “More folk rock, I guess, but definitely influenced by country and stuff...Harry by the way.”

Harry puts out his palm to the guy and it’s a second before they’re shaking hands.

“I’m Louis. Nice to meet you, Harry,” his smile could light up the entire dingy and depressing terminal and Harry is secretly hoping all the flights keep getting delayed so he can talk to him longer.

He has this overwhelming urge to say anything to make Louis laugh and keep smiling—and more importantly, keep talking to him.

“Did you know that King Louis XVI had over 8,000 books in his library?” Harry asks looking down at the book in Louis’ lap. Now that it was closed he could see that he was enjoying something called [Tin Man](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31117613-tin-man). Harry makes a mental note to Google it later.

Louis lets out a huff of air along with a low chuckle. It wasn’t Harry’s proudest moment of trying to extend a conversation but he was weirdly nervous (probably because Louis was fucking stunning while he looked a mess) and he didn’t want to lose his attention. At least he didn’t go for the not having sex with Marie Antoinette for seven years fact. That definitely would have ended the conversation.

“I did _not_ know that. Beats me I have probably fifty or so,” Louis says back. “And most are for school or reference so they probably don’t even count.” At that very moment, lightning flashes across the sky and a huge rumble of thunder pours through the terminal. Multiple people yelp and Harry’s shoulders jump a little at the sound.

“Doesn’t seem too safe to fly. Looks like we’ll be here for awhile...do you wanna go get a drink or something?” Harry holds his breath as the words fall out of his mouth before he can think about what he’s saying. Secretly he hopes they would be stuck there all night. But they just met and Louis could want to do umpteen different things than hang out with a stranger.

Louis looks down at his phone and clicks it to check the time. “Yeah, might as well. I’ll probably fall asleep if I don’t get up and keep talking.” Harry watches him shuffle his backpack from between his legs and shoves his book inside.

When he stands, Louis stretches his arms above his head and lets out a yawn that Harry shouldn’t find cute. Harry follows the hem of his sweater as it pulls toward the ceiling and his heart jumps a little at the exposure of the skin on Louis’ stomach and a soft trail of hair below his belly button.

“Ready?” Harry snaps his head up to see Louis looking down at him and the slight smirk gives away the fact he totally just got caught checking him out.

Louis opened up after a beer. He said he starts back up with art school in the spring. And by the time he had two (overpriced) drinks, Harry knew almost everything. He knew Louis had the world’s most infectious laugh. He knew he had a plethora of siblings who he’d take multiple bullets for. He knew that after winning an art award in the third grade, Louis decided to “take art very seriously” and told his parents he’d never need to learn another skill. He knew Louis came to New York for his best friend’s wedding and was meant to leave yesterday but selected the wrong flight when booking. He knew this was as far east as he’d ever traveled but he wants to visit Maine soon. He knew Louis loved pop-punk but had a soft spot for show tunes. He knew neither of them were even fazed the skies had cleared up and flights were boarding.

“You’re never going to pull out your guitar to sing to me are you?” Louis’ words only have a slight slur to them and Harry’s no doubt sounds the same after forgoing food for liquid courage.

If standing on the bar and playing songs for Louis would make him happy, Harry would do it. It’s probably the alcohol, but he’d do just about anything right now to keep this moment going.

Now it’s 10:45 pm, and what Louis didn’t know is Harry wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the entire world than in the middle of JFK with the guy he just met.

“The acoustics in here sorta suck,” Harry says seriously as if he’s actually debating whipping out his guitar. He sucks in a breath and just goes for it. “Maybe you should take a trip out to Tennessee and I’ll do a whole show for ya. I have a few coming up at this venue called High Watt.”

At that moment, the mumbled words over the loudspeaker become clear as day and Harry’s heart drops at the offending words: “Now boarding flight 1552 to Los Angeles at gate 22.”

The two of them audibly sigh and Harry comes crashing back to reality. He can’t help but pout the slightest. Louis must notice it because he nudges Harry’s hand with his pinky.

“Gimme your phone,” Louis says making a grab at Harry’s iPhone. He unlocks it and hands it to Louis and it’s back on the bar top a couple moments later.

They’re quiet for what seems like an eternity and Harry wants to figure out a way to stop time at least for a few more hours. He’s never felt this connected to someone or got on with someone so well as he did with Louis. And he couldn’t bare the thought of going their separate ways...possibly forever.

“Last call for flight 1552 to Los Angeles. Please make your way to gate 22 for flight 1552,” the woman says over the airport’s loudspeaker. The words hurt even more this time because Harry knows there’s no stopping time and no stopping the plane from departing.

“That is me,” Louis sighs. He slides off the bar stool but doesn’t make any quick movement to walk toward his gate. Instead, Harry’s heart does a flip when Louis leans in closer to him and plants a chaste kiss to his cheek. “Thanks for keeping me company.”

Now, Harry’s alone in the middle of JFK wishing he had a ticket to LA. By 11:15, he’s finally on his own flight and falling asleep thinking about blue eyes and the sweetest boy he’s ever met.

Harry’s got a text from an unknown number when he turns it off airplane mode after he’s made it back home. He figured Louis put his number in and was glad he was smart enough to text himself so he’d have his number too. Harry can’t help but to smile and bite his bottom lip as he stares at the words.

_**So harry styles it is as per google? My finger slipped & it looks like I bought a ticket to your show next month in Nashville. Are you taking requests? I need to get my money’s worth.** _


End file.
